As I mentioned when we launched the Monday evening Mass at 7 p.m. a few weeks ago, I want to try some different things from time to time at this Mass. This Monday, February 5, the Mass will be offered in Spanish. I remember when I was at Holy Rosary as a seminarian and as a newly ordained priest that this parish was the site of the only Spanish Masses celebrated in the diocese at that time. The Hispanic Ministry that grew and developed here ultimately evolved into the Sagrado Corazon community at the Catholic Pastoral Center, and yet we still have parishioners from the days when it all started here. I would like to honor that legacy, as well as to see how we as a parish can respond to the current reality of the growing Hispanic communities, both in language and in culture.
In different parish assignments over the years, I have been enriched spiritually by these expressions of the Catholic faith. These experiences have also challenged me to grow. To the English speakers who attend the Monday Mass, I encourage you to give the Spanish Mass a try. It is the same Mass, of course!